The Billionaire Bum

“Is one of these yours?” I asked.

Jackson wouldn’t look at me. What was up with him? He was usually so open and genuine with me. Did I do something to offend him?

“Jackson?” I asked willing him to look at me.

Finally he met my eyes. “Um. They’re all mine, Alissa,” he said quietly.

“Oh,” I said stupidly, “of course.”

Smooth Alissa. He told you he was a collector. It’s no wonder that he’s being uncommunicative. He finally realized how uncultured and beneath him you are. You don’t belong in this world… his world. You never did.

“They’re uh, nice…” I finished lamely.

Nice? Did I really just call his multi-million dollar sports car collection “nice?” I was such an idiot. It was no wonder that he wouldn’t tell me about his cars. Listing them alone would take an hour.

The elevator arrived. He slid a special key into the slot, which gave us access to the top two floors. The elevator stopped at the thirty-third floor for most people. Jackson had thirty-four and thirty-five.

He looked really tense. I had to stop this.

“Jackson, I’m sorry,” I blurted out. “This was a bad idea. You clearly don’t want me here, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. Maybe you should just take me home. I’m sure that everything will be fine. I can have my dad get one of the guys on the force to stay with me for a little while if we need to…”

“You think I don’t want you here?” he asked, finally looking at me. His eyes now looked panicked.

“Well, yeah, I mean… I know that I don’t really belong in a place like this, and I am sure that you have a lot of work to do, and I don’t want to intrude…” He let out a nervous little laugh and then ran his hand through his already disheveled mess of hair. He was looking at me like he couldn’t believe what I was saying.

He moved so fast; I never knew what hit me. One minute I was expecting him to stop the elevator and take me home, the next he had me pressed up against the wall, and his warm lips were pressing against mine. His hands tangled in my hair.

He was all I could feel. My whole body was alight with a consuming fire. He was all I could breathe, all I could taste. My everything.

He pulled away panting, his eyes still closed, and he rested his forehead against mine.

“Alissa,” he said, “please believe me when I tell you that I want you here.” The door opened behind Jackson. He still had his hands in my hair and his forehead pressed against mine. I could feel his hot breath against my lips. It took every ounce of my self-control to not tip my head up and recapture his lips, but I knew that we couldn’t stand here in the elevator forever.

I had no idea what was going on, but as long as Jackson was saying that he wanted me, I wasn’t going to argue.

“Um. Then are you going to show me in?” I asked sheepishly.

He backed away from me slowly, letting his fingertips brush against my chin. “I’m sorry, I’m behaving very rudely. I’m just a little nervous. Please come in.” I stepped out of the elevator into a foyer-like space. It had two plush leather chairs and a huge vase with a bunch of reeds in it. On the wall opposite the elevator was a door. It was only one door, but I was having a lady and the tiger moment. I had no idea what to expect on the other side. My head was still spinning from Jackson’s kiss, and I felt completely off kilter.

Jackson punched a code into the keypad beside the door and then turned the knob.

“I would prefer that you not leave without an escort,” he said, “but if you need to go in and out for some reason the code is 254772. I’ll get you a key for the elevator. There is a pool and a gym downstairs on the second floor. The whole building is secure, so please make yourself at home.”

He opened the door and motioned for me to follow him. It was every bit as beautiful as I expected it to be. Half of the top story had been removed so the dining room, living room, and library/music room had twenty-five-foot ceilings. He had a beautiful black three-quarter grand piano and shelf upon shelf of books. I could die happily in this room.

The huge glass windows looked out over the whole downtown area. I was willing to bet that this was considered one of the best views in the city. When Jackson stepped into my line of sight, I was positive that I was correct.

“Um, please, help yourself to whatever you want,” he said. His hands were in his hair again, and it reminded me of how it felt to have his hands on me. Just the thought made me flush with heat.

“The kitchen is this way,” he said. I hobbled along after him. “I don’t actually cook, and even if I did, I would be embarrassed by how badly it would pale in comparison to your food. So I think they stocked the fridge, but we can order in if you want something other than freezer pizza.”

I smiled. “I happen to like freezer pizza.” He smiled back at me, looking a little more comfortable.

The doorbell rang. “That’ll be your clothes,” he said. “Please excuse me.” My clothes? I heard Jackson open the door and greet someone. He came back in to the room with large grey suitcase in one hand.

“I hope you don’t mind. I asked Lexy to pack a few things up for you. I thought you might like to have some of your own clothes for your stay. I would have just bought new, but I didn’t know your sizes, and I wasn’t sure what you would need or prefer…” He was rambling and it was adorable.

“Jackson?”

“Yes, Alissa?”

He looked like he was about to face a firing squad.

“Put the suitcase down.”

He did as I asked. I leaned back against his kitchen counter.

“Come here.” He took two steps closer to me. Close enough to reach.

I slipped my index fingers into the belt loops of his jeans and pulled him the rest of the way to me. I looked up into his beautiful blue eyes and then brushed my lips across his.

“Thank you,” I said. I rested my head against his shoulder. His hands returned to my hair and he kissed the top of my head. “Thank you for thinking of everything, for taking care of my restaurant, for letting me stay here, for wanting to protect me, for getting my stuff.”

“Shhh,” he said, and then he was tilting my head with his hands, and his lips were on mine, and I could only be thankful for that. I opened my lips to him, and he gently explored my mouth with his tongue. He tasted like heaven, cool and sweet.

When he released me, I nearly groaned in disappointment.

Chapter 21: Breathing Room

Alissa

“Let me show you to your room,” Jackson said stepping back from me.

I followed him up the elegant open staircase. This place was incredible. The view of Jackson from the back as he ascended the stairs was nothing to scoff at either.

Damn it, Alissa. Get your head out of the gutter.

He led me past several doors and then entered a room at the end of the hall. He set the suitcase down on a small table in the large bedroom.

It was beautiful. The carpet was a neutral beige color, and the walls were a warm cream.

The bed and the drapes were a study in blues. It was elegant, without being overstated. Abstract paintings hung on the walls, and I had a feeling that they were not replicas. I couldn’t name the artist, but I would bet that any art student could.

“Is this okay?” he asked, taking in my reaction.

“It’s perfect, Jackson. Who did your decorating?”

“What?” he teased. “You think I didn’t do this myself?” I laughed. “Did you?”

“No. My mom did. Interior design is her favorite hobby. She did most of the building.

She’s very talented.”

A man who was proud of his mom, that was so sweet. “Yes, she is.”

“Most of the rooms up here are just bedrooms, but my room is right across the hall, and at the top of the stairs where we came up, there is a study. You can use the computer in there if you want to. I keep all of my work stuff on my laptop or at the office, so there is nothing important or confidential on there. It’s not used very much.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you. Thanks.” Could this man be any more perfect?

“I’ll just give you a few minutes to settle in if you want?” he said. “I was going to take a shower and then see about pulling dinner together. Do you need anything else?”

“No. Thank you, Jackson. Everything is perfect.”

“You really like it?”

I laughed. “Of course I like it. This place is amazing.” Had he really thought that I wouldn’t approve?

“Good, make yourself at home. I mean that.”

He left, and I dropped onto the bed with a heavy sigh. A shower sounded like a very good idea, but I wanted to see what Lexy had packed for me first.